Hoofbeats
W.H. Burges High School, El Paso, Texas
CSPA Gold Crown
Theme: To the core
Adviser: Patricia Monroe
Editors: Alex Uribe and April Hernandez
Walsworth representative: Candis Brinegar
The staff chose the theme “To the core,” which allowed them to truly examine what it meant to be a student at W.H. Burges High School in 2009-2010. “Nobody really goes crazy about stuff, we don’t get too emotional,” April Hernandez, co-editor, said. “But that’s what it looks like from the outside. We really do care about our school, but you have to dig deep to see it.”
To graphically represent how this book is about revealing the layers of students’ lives, a ripped piece of paper that reveals the theme of the book is in the bottom right corner. For the core of each student, and of the school, a smoky graphic takes the place of the “o” in “core” and represents a soul. Five lines run across the cover and into this core, representing students’ “heartstrings.” These lines flow through the rest of the book and each corresponds with a section of content. The heartstrings from the cover look as if they have gone through the book to continue in the same place on the endsheet.
On this opening spread of the 2010 Hoofbeats, drop shadows, overlapping photos and a graphic of a ripped piece of paper all add to the layered feel of the design. This furthers the staff’s idea that they are ripping back the layers of the school to reveal the true “core.”
The copy on the opening spread introduces each of the five sections with short phrases presented almost as poetry. Each grouping of phrases begins with “It” and ends with the spin-off title for a section. This device, used so consistently in this opening spread, sets a mood of whimsy for the entire book, drawing readers in and introducing them to elements they will notice later on.
Visually, overlapping design elements create dimension and represent the layers of people’s lives the staff hopes to reveal in the 2010 Hoofbeats. The five “heartstrings” that run throughout the book pass through the heart, or core, of the students featured on each division page. On this student life spread, a student whose defining characteristics include his passion for skateboarding represents every student and their passions.
The division copy for this student life section explains the spin-off title “from the heart” by listing good intentions students had during the 2009-2010 school year. This list captures the essence of students at Burges without getting bogged down in too many words.
Overlapping photos and design elements continue on story pages, though graphics have been kept to a minimum to avoid graphic overload. Even without complicated graphics, the staff continues the layered look introduced on the cover and division pages. Here, though, the layers are achieved with colored boxes and slight drop shadows that show dimension.
The heartstrings graphic runs through the spread, weaving behind photos when necessary and making their way across the page. These lines were added just before each spread was sent to the plant for the last time, so the staff could make sure they lined up just right with the heartstrings on the preceding and following spreads.
Through beautifully written, well-researched stories, it is clear that each staff member understood their mission and worked to uncover the hidden details at Burges High School.
The Hoofbeats staff worked to tell the true stories of the year, even when those stories weren’t positive ones. This spread about boys’ junior varsity and freshman basketball reveals the truth of a rough season. The staff allowed the boys a chance to talk about what they should have done to solve the problems the teams had, capturing significant details of the year and painting an accurate picture of the teams.
Every sports spread included a quote and a mugshot instead of a secondary headline. Each quote captures the essence of the story or the team being written about, so a secondary headline would be redundant. These quotes allow readers a glimpse into the core of a key figure in the story and expand coverage and theme development on these pages. By including this feature, the staff added another student perspective to each of these spreads, expanding coverage in a reader- and student-friendly way.
On the closing spread of the 2010 Hoofbeats, the “heartstrings” that have flown through the entire book separate for a moment and are labeled, each with the spin-off title from a section of the book: substance, essence, from the heart, digging deep and determined. The “heartstrings” are also explained at the end of the closing copy. It reads: “It hits you all of a sudden (wow), you get it, you untangle the strings, the strings that lead… to the core.”
